'A true gentle soul' - tributes paid to weekend road crash victims

Tributes have been paid to road crash victims who lost their lives on Irish roads over the weekend. 

Three deaths over the weekend in separate incidents in Wicklow, Cork and Dublin brought the death toll so far this year to 61 on Irish roads. 

Two of the victims have been named locally. 

A man in his 20s who died in a motorcycle crash in Carnew, Co Wicklow, on Saturday evening has been named as Niall Keane.

A death notice for Mr Keane, from Munny, Gorey, Co Wexford, on rip.ie read: “Very sadly missed by his loving mother and father Peter and Bridget, sister Brenda, grandparents, brother-in-law Jimmy and loving nephew Joel, nieces Harper, Taylor and Isabelle, his partner Shannon, extended family, relatives and friends. Rest in Peace.”

Details of funeral arrangements are to follow.

A tribute posted online read: “RIP Niall, a true gentle soul, fly high.”

Another road crash victim, father of three John Barry was struck by a vehicle at around 1.30am, on the road close by Water-Rock in Cork in the early hours of Sunday morning. Gardai and emergency services responded and a section of the road was closed yesterday morning as accident investigators examined the scene.

In tributes posted on social media, one relative wrote: “Look down on your family, Stacey and your children and your uncle Thomas, your best buddy. You were a genuine fella and I will miss you. Sleep tight.”

Another wrote: “Can’t believe it. He was one of a kind”

"This all just doesn't seem real to me. I’m writing this with a heavy heart this morning. Rest in peace to my Uncle John Barry. It just doesn’t seem real. Please watch over us but especially your kids and Stacey. I love you forever and always," another family member said. 

Another described him as "always a gent... who would go out of his way to help anybody". 

In a third fatality over the weekend, a man who was aged in his 60s, was the driver and sole occupant of a van that crashed on the Churchtown Road Upper in Dundrum at around 6.15am on Sunday morning.

No other vehicles were involved.

The man was declared dead at the scene.